The Efficacy of Victim Services Programs. Alleviating the Psychological Suffering of Crime Victims?

Source: (2006) Criminal Justice Policy. 17(4):387-406.

With the movement of the victim to the forefront of the criminal justice system, more
and more services have been developed to alleviate the pain and suffering caused by the
victimization experience. Some services seek to alleviate the psychological suffering of
crime victims and include such programs as crisis intervention, individual and group
counseling, and so forth. Several studies have examined to what extent such programming
can actually improve the psychological functioning of crime victims. The present
study examines that question through a quasi-experimental design in which victims
who used services and victims who did not use services participated in a statewide telephone
survey. The major finding of the study adds to those of previous studies: There
is no significant difference between service and nonservice users when it comes to
improvement in the psychological functioning of crime victims. (authors' abstract)